Lateralus
by Solain Rhyo
Summary: A story about Adele Rousseau and what would have happened if she hadn't been impregnated by a facehugger. Wandering the pyramid, she faces the same dilemma as Lex ... is the enemy of her enemy truly her friend?
1. Challenged

_**A/N: **I wrote **Surviving This** having only seen the AvP movie. This weekend I read the movie novelization, and found myself inspired to do something with the other female character in the movie …_

_Hope you like this!_

**IXI**

The ominous feeling that had fallen over Adele Rousseau upon entering the pyramid had steadily increased with each step she took deeper into the structure. She didn't like being underground; perhaps it was directly related to her claustrophobia, but something about being in a cavern two thousand feet below the earth's surface made her overly apprehensive. Outwardly, she gave no sign of her discomfiture. Tall, with cool Nordic features and an athletic build that was mostly lean muscle and sinew, she exuded a kind of quiet menace that made others uneasy around her. This was the main reason behind her presence in the expedition; she was Weyland's hired muscle, brought along to ensure that things wouldn't go wrong.

She was, she felt, woefully out of her element. Adele was more used to acting as a bodyguard, and had on occasion filled the role of a hitman. Accompanying a mostly scientific expedition to a temple buried beneath the world's most isolated island was something she felt unqualified for, though she would never reveal that fact. Weyland had paid her an extravagant amount for this assignment, and had promised her a great deal more upon the completion of the exploration –she would have been crazy not to accept. She took solace in the fact that she wasn't the only one of her ilk along on this little venture; Verheiden, Sven, Mikkel and Boris had all been hired for the same reason as she.

Weyland had given them all permission to carry concealed arms; for some reason it was important to him that none of the scientists know their real purpose. Hidden beneath her layers of lightweight, high heat gear, Adele wore two semiautomatic 9mm Browning handguns in shoulder holsters, an eight inch military issue knife strapped firmly against her thigh, and a switchblade in the pocket of her inner vest. The handgun Alexa Woods had seen and questioned her about was a Smith Wesson semiautomatic, and she'd chosen to wear it in a hip holster outside her gear. Though it felt somewhat like overkill, Adele had also brought along her compact HK MP5 submachine rifle; it now rode securely in her backpack along with numerous magazines and clips of ammo.

Armed as she was, she still felt inexplicably ill at ease. When the party had located what one of the scientists deemed the "sacrificial chamber," Adele had studied the corpses laid out in gruesome display. The first thing that had caught her eye were the gaping craters in the chests of the desiccated bodies; further inspection found that the ancient rib bones had been pushed outwards, as though something had erupted from within the body. After sharing this theory with the Egyptologist Thomas, Adele had withdrawn to a corner to stare at the wall that was in fact made entirely of human skulls and spinal columns, and it was then she began to wonder what exactly she had gotten herself into …

After Stafford had discovered there was another chamber below the one they stood in, he divided the party into teams; one to stay and further examine the sacrificial chamber, and one to gain entry into the room situated directly below. Stafford barked out her name along with that of Mikkel, ordering them to stay. Mikkel had made no protest and neither had she, although inwardly she had bridled at the superiority in Stafford's tone. As he and the other half of the party left the room she trailed them, calling softly to Mikkel that she would stand guard outside the chamber.

Settling back against the stone wall, she had watched idly as Thomas and some of the others poked and prodded the corpses, contemplating the bizarre wounds she had noticed. She still couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding that rode her, and when all hell broke loose a short time later she almost wasn't surprised. The pyramid began to tremble, and as she pushed away from the wall in alarm she saw that huge slabs of decorated granite were descending to seal the sacrificial chamber. She shouted to Thomas and the others, urging them to run for the exits; the slabs fell too quickly, and quite suddenly she found herself staring at stone and hearing from behind it the faint cries of those trapped within.

She didn't panic; she'd been through enough unfavorable occasions to know panicking did no good. Instead she took a deep breath and took a moment to evaluate her situation. She was alone, but she was armed, and that was one strike in her favor. She had no compass or other method of determining direction, but she did have the small two way radio Stafford had given her, and so she removed it from the clip at her belt and switched it on.

"Stafford, do you read?" No reply, only the faint hiss of static. Undeterred, she tried again. "Stafford, this is Rousseau. Are you there?"

Again, no answer, and abruptly the static became a high pitched shriek. Wincing at the way the sound echoed around her, she turned the radio off and regarded it in disgust. Obviously, it wasn't up to the task of maintaining a signal in this place. Returning it to her belt, she turned again to the stone slab and bit her lip in frustration. She had no way of knowing what had happened to the people on the other side-

Screaming began then, muffled by the granite, but audible nonetheless. Two distinct, short bursts punctured the air to join the cries; Adele knew it to be gunfire. And then, just as suddenly as the cacophony had started, it died, and she was left standing in eerie silence.

"_Damnit!"_ She pounded the stone once with her fist before wheeling around and staring into the darkened tunnel that loomed before her, illuminated only by the beams of her handheld and shoulder harness flashlights. There was no way for her to tell whether her comrades within the sealed chamber were alive, and even if they were there was no way she could reach them. The only thing she could do was set out in search of Weyland, Stafford, and the others …

Her lips thinning into a grim line, Adele began discarding the outer layers of her clothing. It was too bulky wearing them, and she had an unnerving feeling she would need to be able to move about freely. Discarding the clothing to the floor, she slid the Smith Wesson free of its holster and checked the magazine to ensure she had full rounds. Satisfied, she holstered it again, but left the safety strap loose. Ready to proceed, she ran one hand through the short, wild lengths of her hair; it was a gesture that hinted to her nervousness, although her external demeanor was one of calm. With a deep breath she forged ahead into the shadows, and hoped fervently that whatever her companions had run astray of, she would have the fortune to avoid.

**IXI **

It was impossible to discern the passing of time in the shadowed depths of the temple. As Adele wandered through long, ornate hallways and statue lined chambers, she realized she was becoming hopelessly and completely lost. Nothing looked the way it had on the way into the pyramid, and the implications of this were disconcerting. Obviously it wasn't just the sacrificial chamber that had been altered, and Adele found herself wondering just how extensive the modifications to the temple had been.

At intervals she would halt and attempt to contact the rest of the team through the radio, and every time she was met with either quiet static or a grating shriek. Finally, in exasperation, she hurled the device into the darkened corners of the chamber she stood in, rattling through every offensive word in her vocabulary. No amount of money was worth being trapped in this place, and she was beginning to wish she'd never, ever accepted Weyland's offer …

Her voice died as she became aware of another sound, and she wheeled about to find its source. All that met her eyes were the dimly lit depths of the room, the ancient and bizarre symbols etched into the walls around her, the pitch black depths of a corridor to her right. And then something rippled at the corner of her vision, displacing the air … it was a humanoid shape, she realized as it moved, and without realizing it she began to back away.

The sound came again, a guttural, clicking growl that permeated the air. And as the strange, wavering form came nearer, her hand moved slowly to the gun at her hip. The movement faltered, however, as she realized there was more than one of the partially invisible things in the room …

… there were five.

Adele watched in a mixture of terror and awe as suddenly the invisibility bled away, revealing something far more monstrous and frightening hidden beneath. In moments she found herself faced with five manlike creatures, each towering over her at well over seven feet in height. Their builds were undeniably masculine, heavily muscled and solid in structure. Strange armor shielded their bodies in places and their faces, each of them, were hidden from view by separately unique metal masks. What seemed to be silver banded dreadlocks fell from their heads, and each and every one of them carried some form of weapon of the likes Adele had never seen before.

There was more than one growl in the room now, and under the scrutiny of the creatures Adele felt her blood grow cold in her veins. These beings fairly radiated violence and menace, and it took an extreme force of will for her not to turn tail and flee back the way she had come. Instead she did what was instinct to her, and in one swift, seamless movement the Smith Wesson was in her hand and pointed at the foremost of the creatures. She fired three times; two shots hit the upper chest armor of the creature and rebounded harmlessly away, but the third struck lower and pierced the strange mottled skin and a spray of very bright, very green liquid spewed forth. All of the creatures were moving then to retaliate her attack, and Adele knew with cold certainty that she was about to die.

The pyramid began to move.

The slab she stood on began to rise, just as the floor the five creatures stood on began to descend. Hastily she leapt from her perch, attempting to put the rising pillar between herself and the hostile beings. Too late she realized the area she'd jumped to was closing in on itself, coming together, and fearing she would be crushed by the stone drawing near from all sides she ran as best she could through the ever shrinking corridor. Just as the walls began to touch her shoulders she burst free of the confines, and she found herself standing in a large, open domed chamber with a ceiling so high it was lost to darkness and no visible exit save for the one she had just come from. She spun about just as the passage behind her slid shut with a thundering echo, and found that her escape hadn't exactly gone as she had hoped it would.

She was trapped in this room. And trapped with her, spear in hand and snarling, was one of the masked creatures.

**IXI**

_**A/N: **The movie novel had five Predators instead of three, and I intend to make use of them all._


	2. Triumphant

**IXI**

For a long, tense moment, human and creature faced each other. Even in the dimness of this room Adele could see the blood that seeped from the bullet wound she'd inflicted; the vivid green liquid had an eerie luminescence as it dripped in rivulets down the strange skin to splatter against the ground. Suddenly the creature was lunging for her, roaring, and she danced back out of reach, raising the Smith and Wesson and firing again. Her first shot went wide, and as she tried to compensate for the next one the creature hurled its spear. She twisted to the side; the weapon grazed her arm, shearing through all her clothing and slicing her skin, and she cried out as the resulting wave of pain sent her stumbling back into the wall.

With a swiftness that belied its bulk the creature came for her again; Adele managed to pull the trigger as she dodged to the side and the shot brushed its side with a slight spray of neon blood. Too late she attempted to evade its grasp; it caught her by the arm and swung her around with such force her feet left the ground. It released her at the crucial moment as it pivoted, and the force with which it did so sent her hurtling through the air. She twisted in flight, knowing that to strike the other wall the wrong way would be a crippling factor she couldn't afford.

She hit the stone hard on her side and plummeted the few feet to the ground, crying out as she landed, the Smith and Wesson falling from her grasp. Struggling to ignore the agony thundering throughout her body, she staggered to her feet as the creature began to approach with slow, confident strides. She fumbled frantically for her semiautomatics, and as the creature drew within striking distance there was the sound of sharp metal being unsheathed. From its gauntleted wrists two wickedly curved blades protruded; its arm came up in preparation for the killing blow. Guns forgotten, Adele dropped to a crouch and then lashed out roundhouse with one long leg. It was a powerful blow, enough to knock a human man off his feet, but it only served to stagger the creature, and as Adele got her feet beneath her and bolted to the side she could feel the wind of the blades as they narrowly missed her head.

The creature bellowed its rage, and the sound echoed loudly throughout the confines of the chamber. Facing it, breathing hard, Adele strove to maintain some distance. Both Brownings were in hand now, and aimed somewhat shakily at her opponent. One direct shot hadn't killed it, and she wondered with some trepidation what exactly would. It charged then, and Adele had no time to think as her fingers flexed over the triggers. She emptied four shots into the creature's torso before it was in front of her, and the blood from the wounds sprayed her skin and clothing. With one sweep of its arm it knocked her off her feet, and she was sent sprawling to the floor.

One of the semiautomatics flew from her hand to skitter across the stone floor; as the creature sliced downwards with its blades she rolled quickly to the side, narrowly avoiding being eviscerated. Looming over her, the beast roared, and Adele knew she didn't have time to get away. Dropping the other gun, she placed her hands flat on the ground and used them to support her weight as she swung both legs out in a wide arc to connect with the creature's right knee. With all of her body behind the blow, she was satisfied to hear an audible cracking noise fill the air; the creature screamed and dropped heavily to one knee.

It was by no means rendered helpless, however; as Adele grabbed the Browning again and got her feet beneath her it lunged and caught her by the neck with one hand, hoisting her into the air. Even kneeling as it was, it was taller than she, and it lifted her until her feet dangled above ground. Choking, she clawed with her free hand at its grip, the other hand still clutching the gun. The creature raised its other arm, wrist blades glinting even in the dull light, and it was a gesture meant to frighten, meant to intimidate. It was going to slice her open here and now and enjoy her screams, enjoy the sight of her innards spilling out to garishly decorate the floor …

Adele writhed and bucked, and with a grunt the creature was forced to drop her back to the ground, unable to support her struggling mass. As her feet touched stone she surged forwards, startling the beast, jamming the muzzle of her pistol directly into the side of its neck. She pulled the trigger even as it swatted at her with its blades; it was unable to take a decent swipe because she was too close. She fired four times, and with each shot the massive body jerked and the massive fingers still at her neck flexed tightly. She ripped herself free of its grasp as vivid, glowing blood spewed forth from the wounds, coating her arms and the creature's chest. As she back-pedalled, one hand at her throat, the creature swayed on its knees, making a terrible gargling roar. Finally it toppled over backwards, twitching; Adele remained where she was for several moments after it became still, hardly daring to believe she'd managed to bring it down …

She approached cautiously, scooping up the other Browning as she did so and training both guns on the limp body. Crouching carefully beside the obscenely muscled outstretched arm, she prodded the vibrantly green chest with one gun. Nothing happened, and after another moment Adele set about examining her kill. Running one finger along the arm before her, she noted that the creature's flesh felt almost reptilian but was lacking scales; the coloring was a mottled yellowish brown. Its entire body was covered in some type of mesh body suit, and as she touched it with one fingertip she found the mesh was warm. Some type of heating mechanism, perhaps?

Next she studied the armor that covered its shoulders, upper chest, and lower body. Where her bullets had struck the metal earlier there wasn't even a dent, indicating an impossible density; she tried prying one of the pieces off the body but found she couldn't. Her eyes moved then to the metal faceplate the creature wore, an eerily impassive mask with a dark, reflective visor for the eyes. It was shaped into a blank visage, covering the entire face; above it, a ridge of skin protruded. Splayed out on the ground above its head was what seemed to be its hair; feeling it tentatively, Adele found that the large black tubes were solid, with a slick surface. Metal rings adorned each of the long strands, and the ends were metal tipped.

The skulls and bones which had been tied across the creature's chest next drew her attention, and she peered at each one of them in curiosity. Were they trophies, or some type of charms worn for luck? These creatures didn't really strike her as the superstitious sort, so she was banking on the fact that they were tokens taken from kills and were displayed in pride. Acutely aware that her own bones could have been strung alongside these, she rocked back on her heels and let her eyes scan the rest of the corpse.

Spying a knife strapped to the thick trunk of the creature's calf, she leaned forwards and withdrew it. Like the wrist blades, it was a gleaming piece of metal with sharp, jagged edges and what seemed to be a perfect counterbalance. With a low, admiring whistle Adele tucked it carefully through her belt and stood. She scrutinized her surroundings, looking for the spear that had struck her arm, and found it embedded in the wall to her right. It took some effort for her to free it, but when it came loose she studied it carefully. Like the knife it seemed to be made of some sort of sophisticated metal; lightly pressing a small indent on the side of its grip, Adele was suitably startled when it collapsed on itself swiftly, becoming compact. She made the instantaneous decision to take it with her, for it was a weapon unlike any she'd ever seen.

Now that the battle was over, she set about checking her wounds. The slice on her upper arm was shallow and had already stopped bleeding, and other than that her body ached mostly from bruises. Not bad, considering the fact that she could very easily have wound up dead. It was only then she noticed her hands were shaking slightly, and a very small smile curved her lips. She had survived against something from a nightmare, had triumphed against all odds …

She was _alive._

And trapped, she remembered then as her smile faded, scanning the room. No exits had opened since the last had closed, and for a moment she wondered if she would be stuck here indefinitely. Shaking such thoughts from her head, her eyes fell again on the trophies the dead creature wore, and with another smile, savage this time, Adele decided to take a trophy of her own.

Kneeling beside the body once again, using the creature's own knife, she picked up a length of its hair and sliced clean through it only an inch from the head. It separated easily, and once the length was free she held it up before her. It was several inches long, with three metal bands spaced evenly along it, and it wasn't hollow as she'd originally suspected. Standing, she threaded the length through her belt loop and secured it with a clip, and as she finished doing so a great trembling shook the room.

The pyramid was moving again.

Adele watched as a portion of the wall opposite her slid down, revealing a new room, and she waited for a moment with guns withdrawn to see if anything unwelcome would come lumbering through. When nothing did she holstered both guns and walked carefully to the new entry, picking up her Smith and Wesson as she did so. She paused on the threshold of the new chamber and took a deep breath before stepping over.

It was time to continue on.

**IXI**


	3. Realizations

**_Random and useless fact: _**_It has become my personal opinion that Adele would have made a much stronger female lead than Lex. Not that I don't appreciate Lex, but I think, all in all, that Adele could have given both aliens and predators a better run for their money, so to speak. XD_

**IXI**

Adele had not traveled far before she heard the voices. Rounding a corner, flashlight held aloft, she paused for a moment as the sound came to her muffled by the thick stone of the pyramid surrounding her. As soon as she realized the noises were coming from humans, she began to run, moving with a purpose and a hope that perhaps she just might make it out of this ordeal alive. Her footsteps echoed eerily in the stillness; from time to time she would halt, soften her breathing, and listen attentively. The voices seemed to be heading in a direction parallel to her own, and realizing that only a wall separated her from the others she sped forwards. She burst forth from the passage to find herself in a small circular room; startled shouts alerted her to the fact that she had been found.

She swiveled around to find Sebastian and Lex standing within the shadow of another passage, both staring at her with expressions of incredulousness. It was Lex that broke the stunned silence first, moving forward quickly to embrace Adele; as she stepped aside Sebastian appeared, clapping her hard on the back.

It was Lex who spoke first. "Rousseau – we thought everyone was dead …"

"There were some sort of –of creatures that attacked us," Sebastian added, his Italian accent thickened by apprehension. "They were humanoid-"

"I've seen them," Adele said heavily. "Nobody else made it besides the two of you?"

Lex had caught sight of the spear Adele carried, and her widening eyes moved from the weapon to the strange strand of hair dangling from her belt. In dawning comprehension she breathed, "Rousseau? Did you kill one of them?"

Having momentarily forgotten about her trophy, Adele glanced down and absently fingered it. She flashed them both a fierce grin, feeling much more confident and secure now that she knew that she wasn't the only human prowling these depths. "Yes."

"Incredible," Sebastian said, examining the spear she held out before them. "How …?"

"Several bullets through the head," Adele replied, letting Sebastian take the weapon from her. She asked again, "No one else survived?"

"No," Lex said, and her voice trembled. Adele could see, even in the dimness, the telltale glimmer of tears in her eyes. "Stafford and Boris … the humanoids killed them. And Weyland … he stayed behind to fight one of them so we could escape …"

Adele considered this grimly; Weyland was most certainly dead. Of the thirteen to enter this temple as part of the expedition, only three remained that they were aware of. They were outnumbered by the creatures … but the creatures had lost one of their number, as well, and Adele allowed herself for a moment to revel in satisfaction and pride at that fact. Her attention drew back to her two companions then, asking, "Are either of you armed?"

"No," Sebastian said, handing her back the spear. Lex echoed his answer with a shake of her head.

Adele set her newly acquired weapon down before withdrawing the Smith and Wesson, sliding out the magazine, and checking the rounds. There were only three left, but it would suffice. Reinserting the cartridge, she extended it grip first to Lex, who stared at it for only a moment before taking it in an awkward hold. Adele then slid one of the Brownings free of its holster and handed it to Sebastian; the manner in which he took it informed her he had some knowledge, however minor, in handling firearms.

"Keep the safety off," she instructed them, "And if we run into those things, aim low, midsection, where there's no armor." Watching to see that they acknowledged, she asked then, "Do you have any idea how to get out of here?"

"The pyramid reconfigures every ten minutes," Sebastian said, gesturing to the walls around them with a helpless flutter of his hand.

"I had a return bearing set," Lex lifted her wrist compass for emphasis, "But it's no good with the way this place moves around."

"Damnit." Adele sighed, picking up the spear and sliding it through a loop at her belt; Lex echoed her dismay with a disparaging sound.

"We can't remain here," Sebastian said after a momentary silence. "They'll find us eventually. We'll stand a better chance if we keep moving."

"Let's go, then," Adele replied, indicating the tunnel before them that both respective passages merged together to form. With a nod Sebastian began to walk, and as Adele made to follow Lex stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"I'm glad you made it, Rousseau," she said quietly.

Adele smiled; unlike the other hired muscle, she genuinely liked Alexa Woods. "Me too. Let's get out of here together, alright?"

As Lex moved past her, she could see the gleam of white teeth as the guide flashed an answering smile. "Deal."

Trailing then behind her newfound comrades, Adele felt buoyed by the reunion. One alone in these labyrinthine depths was most likely to die, but the three of them, armed and a team …

Adele's lips quirked slightly, feeling something strange and entirely out of place in these surroundings. A mixture of triumph and hope, yes, but there was something else overflowing both of those, a sort of excitement that made her feel more alive that she ever had before. The escape from this temple was inevitably going to be a trial, and she would have to pit all her survival skill and instinct against God-only-knew what tests in order to make it out of here alive. Proving herself thus, discovering once and for all what she was made of …

It was an almost intoxicating prospect.

**IXI**

Guided somewhat by Lex's compass, the three humans meandered through the eerie halls of the temple with as much stealth as they could muster. Each held their weapons at the ready, fingers laid lightly against the triggers in preparation to fire. The gloom before them was penetrated by all their flashlights, the beams roaming back and forth, from floor to ceiling, in an effort to discern that the path ahead was clear. Adele had at some point taken the lead as Sebastian fell back; it was a silent and unanimous decision by Sebastian and Lex to let Adele act as head of their party, for both were aware that the short haired woman was more accustomed to dangerous situations than they would ever be.

The group was crossing the breadth of a small rectangular chamber when Sebastian's watch timer went off, the beeping piercing the eerie stillness of their surroundings. He fumbled to shut it off, swearing softly in his native tongue, and at that moment the pyramid around them began to rumble and move. Simultaneously the three humans moved closer to each other, standing back to back to ensure all areas were covered. It was Lex's whispered exclamation of utter dismay that jerked Adele around; from a newly formed entrance she could see the hulking silhouette of one of the humanoid creatures.

"Aim low," Adele said thickly as the creature strode confidently forth and ducked to avoid the low entrance overhang. As it crossed the threshold of the chamber, she brought her Browning up firmly in both hands and sighted; movement caught from the corner of her eye informed her that her companions were following suit. The creature stared at them a long moment, growling; Adele could almost feel the disdain, the hatred, emanating from behind that reflective visor. As it lunged forward suddenly, wrist blades appearing with a metallic hiss, Adele pulled the trigger. The creature had moved so quickly her shot merely grazed the beast's arm. With a bellow it crashed into their midst; a swing of its arm had Lex airborne, and it caught hold of Sebastian by the shoulder an instant later and flung him savagely into the corner. Adele, circling it swiftly, fired again as it whirled to face her; a spray of vividly green blood burst forth from the lower left side of its abdomen.

It snarled then, a fearsome sound, and made to grab for her when abruptly it halted. Adele stared at the massive form from behind the sights of her semiautomatic, finger quivering over the trigger, breath bated. A low groan from a different area of the room informed her that at least one of her companions was alive, but she dare not peel her eyes away from her target, her prey …

The creature tilted its head, rumbling, and Adele realized what it was looking at –the lock of hair swinging free at her waist.

"That's right," she said with as much belligerence as she could muster, her French accent sharper in light of her tension and fear. "I killed your friend."

"Rousseau!" Cried a faint voice –Lex. The creature's attention was drawn towards the sound, and it growled before beginning to move-

Something large, something black, something _fast_ dropped from the ceiling to drape itself over the creature, hissing-

Adele stood absolutely still for a moment, mind desperately trying to comprehend what it was she was seeing. This new beast was a tangle of limbs, large oblong head, thrashing tail and gleaming white needle teeth; the humanoid went down beneath its unanticipated weight, roaring. Coming to her senses, Adele shouted to Sebastian and Lex; the two staggered forth to her side, skirting the monstrous opponents and guns held ready.

"This way!" Adele cried, pushing Lex through the only entrance in the room –the one the humanoid had come from. Sebastian followed quickly, and Adele backed out, Browning still trained on the writhing forms before her. As Sebastian tugged frantically on her arm she whirled and began to run, following her comrades as they fled headlong down yet another long, dark passage. When finally Lex, in the lead, came to a stumbling halt before doubling over to catch her breath, long minutes had passed. Sebastian sank to his knees, gasping, and Adele leaned back heavily against the wall and tried to calm the wild beating of her heart.

When finally she could speak, she said, "That was fun."

Sebastian glanced at her with the ghost of a mirthless smile, "Understatement." His expression sobered, and wincing he felt tenderly at his side.

"You alright?" Adele asked, eyes moving to Lex who had straightened and was wiping at a line of blood that had trickled down from her forehead.

"Just bruised," Sebastian grunted, and Lex nodded her affirmation that she, too, was okay. Adele sighed, rubbing at her eyes with her free hand, letting the other that held the Browning fall to her side.

"We'll rest here a moment," she said.

"What happened back there?" Lex wondered aloud after a moment, pacing the length of the small room they now stood in and nervously running her index finger over the barrel of the Smith and Wesson.

Adele opened her mouth to say she didn't know when Sebastian, crouched and examining the floor, made a sudden, startled noise. "What is it?" Adele asked.

"The answer to Lex's question," he said. He beckoned the women closer, and they knelt at his side. "This," he gestured to the whole expanse of the carved, decorated floor they stood on, "explains everything. Explains the reason behind this temple and those creatures back there. Listen."

And they did, rapt, as he deciphered the ancient text, as he detailed the arrival of a hunting race, a predatory race, upon Earth a millennia ago. He spoke of the ultimate hunt these beings lived for, a hunt that could not take place without humans, for they were needed to breed the deadliest and strongest of prey. In her mind Adele allotted the monsters she'd seen to the roles they played in the hieroglyphs before her – the humanoids as the predators, and the ebony, many- legged creature as their prey.

"Jesus," she breathed as Sebastian's voice died away, attempting to wrap her mind around the sheer magnitude of their current situation.

"They lured us here," Lex said with a slight tremble in her voice. "They needed us to breed those –those _things_ …"

"And we walked right into it," Sebastian spat, slapping the ground in disgust.

"We need to get out of here," Adele said, and her own voice was uneven in light of all they'd just discovered. This was a galactic struggle, a clash of titans, and they were merely three humans, caught in the crossfire …

Suddenly, their survival seemed a lot less likely than she'd originally hoped.

**IXI**


	4. Alliance

**IXI**

It was as the three companions were preparing to go forth once more that the pyramid began to reconfigure. The world rumbling around them, they moved with simultaneous caution back to back, circling to see what surprises the temple would next reveal. _Please don't let anything find us_, Adele prayed silently, knowing that their chances of survival lessened with each minute they spent trapped down here. As the world around them stopped shaking, as Sebastian shouted out, Adele whirled about to find that her plea had gone unanswered. From a newly created opening in the upper wall adjacent to the humans poured forth two of the ebony creatures, creeping down the stone with a fluidic, animalistic ease. Even as Lex screamed a warning Adele was firing; a heartbeat later she realized that her shots were doing no damage, bouncing harmlessly off the armor-like chitin _–an exoskeleton?-_ that encased both of the creatures.

"_Run!"_ She screamed as the foremost of the beasts opened its maw and shrieked; it was close enough that she could smell its fetid breath. A gunshot rocked the newly formed chamber; from the corner of her eye she could see Sebastian close, his gun held steady in the Weaver stance. His blow set the creature furthest back on its heels, and as it straightened with a menacing hiss Adele could clearly see dark green fluid dripping from its underside to hit the floor, steaming. An instant later it was leaping for Sebastian; Adele whirled about to follow it in flight, finger flexing over the trigger in an attempt to knock it out of the air. Whether she succeeded, she didn't know, for quite suddenly something struck her from the side, a heavy weight that sent her skidding across the rough hewn floor.

She came up dazed on one knee in time to see something black hurtling towards her; without thinking she raised the Browning and fired, emptying the magazine. As the gun clicked empty, as the creature stumbled in its rush but didn't fall, she thrust herself into a roll, attempting to buy some time, some distance, in order to remove the MK HP5 from her backpack. The creature, carried by its own momentum, struck the wall with juddering force but was on its feet and facing her in an instant. Not daring to look for her companions but hoping fervently they were alright, Adele ripped the bag free from where it rode at her back and was fumbling with the zipper when she saw the tail of the beast she'd injured come hurtling towards her; too late she dodged back, and it struck her full force in the side. She staggered sideways, bag falling from her grasp; abruptly she found herself tottering at the brink of another newly created opening in the stone floor. As her arms wind-milled in an effort to retain her balance, she heard her name screamed once in desperation.

And then she was falling.

She curled in on herself, arms coming around her head, and seconds later she landed hard upon yet more stone. Her breath was driven from her by the impact and as her limbs twitched with the need for air, as she unfolded and turned onto her back, she realized that things had taken a definite turn for the worse.

The creature she'd wounded was suspended half in and half out of the hole she'd tumbled through some ten feet above, and as she willed her lungs to work it began to move with spider-like grace down the wall towards her. Her muscles decided to respond to her urging in the face of this threat; she gained her knees and was in the process of standing when the beast spilled onto the ground directly in front of her. As she came slowly to her feet, wincing, she allowed her eyes to furiously survey the surroundings for something –anything- that could be wielded as a weapon. The spear she'd attached to her belt had been jarred loose by her landing and lay some several feet away, and her pack with the submachine gun was far above in the chamber from which several gunshots suddenly emanated …

Her hand moved then to the knife she'd taken from her previous kill, thankful beyond belief that it had remained tucked where she'd put it. She wasn't completely unarmed, at least, but had a sinking feeling that even the knife of the powerful hunter wouldn't be enough to save her now. The lean, sinuous body of the alien tensed in preparation to leap, and with knife held in a reverse grip Adele let her breath leave her in a steady stream and felt her entire body going taut in anticipation.

The creature leapt, and Adele dropped to a crouch, ready to bring the knife up in a vicious underbelly slice-

Abruptly the alien was thrown backwards, body encompassed by something that looked for the entire world like a _net _… it struck the wall some several feet behind it and began to scream in fury, body thrashing and tail juddering stones loose. Adele came quickly to her feet, swivelling around to face the new participant in this brawl and hoping fervently it wasn't who she suspected it to be. Standing a few paces off, towering and imperious in the dirty light, was one of the hunters, the predators; she made a small sound of dismay, for she couldn't hold her own against it with only a knife. As he began to move she fell back into a defensive crouch, prepared to strike in any way she could. The hunter strode past her without a glance, however, completely focused on the prey writhing in the net fastened to the wall.

Adele watched as he approached the alien, watched as with the flexing of thick muscle one of the massive, slightly curved blades that rested against the outside length of its forearm sprang into an outright position, an effect that reminded her very much like that of a switchblade. Blood was pouring forth from the shrieking alien, and after a moment she realized, horrified, that the net that bound it was made of some type of unbreakable material, and as the net shrank said material was cutting through the alien chitin with a strength her bullets hadn't possessed. In a blur of movement the hunter struck, bringing his extended blade up in a brutal arc, eviscerating the alien. As the creature's innards spilled forth to lie in a hissing pool on the stone floor the large predator stepped quickly back to avoid being touched by what Adele knew now to be acidic blood. He then turned, prey successfully terminated, to face the lone human that regarded it with no small amount of fear.

Adele rose slowly, cautiously, her grip on the knife white knuckled as she studied with intense interest her new opponent. This hunter's mask, linear lines and curves, was more stylized than that of the one Adele had killed. He was huge, taller and broader than the other -his armor, however, was very similar. While some of his hair was tied back, several strands were draped over his shoulder and fell almost to his waist, beringed with metal. A device that was reminiscent to a small cannon was just visible over his shoulder and was pointed, unsurprisingly, at Adele.

For a long moment they regarded each other, human to alien; when finally the hunter began to move Adele found herself waiting with breath for the attack she knew was coming. The predator moved only to where the spear –the spear she'd taken from the his dead comrade- lay, and with a soft chittering he knelt and picked it up. He turned it over once, studying, and then in a blur of movement hoisted it as if to throw, aiming to what Adele was certain was the center of her chest. Faced with inevitable death, she found herself contemplating a charge, rushing the beast and trying to catch him off guard even though she knew that do so would unquestionably end her life. And so the seconds ticked by, both of their bodies tense with expectation, anticipation, and when the hunter cocked his head to the side with a growl before lowering the arm gripping the spear, the rush of relief Adele felt was almost tangible.

He issued a short bark, a sound undeniably inquisitive while at the same time being imperious; he wanted to know something, and wanted to know it _now._ Bemused, still a little apprehensive, it took Adele only a moment to realize what he was questioning. Letting the hand with the knife fall to her side, she gripped the length of hair she'd taken as a trophy from where it hung at her waist and raised it slightly while watching to see whether this was what the predator wished to know about. His head bobbed once, and then with one thick finger of his free hand he indicated the spear he held.

"Yes," she said, wondering whether her admission was going to get her killed in a decidedly unpleasant manner or not, "I took that from your friend."

A long, purring growl left the hunter, as if he were considering something. With two fingers he gestured to the knife she held, and she nodded again to affirm that yes, she'd taken it from his dead comrade. As though a decision had been made the hunter flipped the spear over and tossed it to her; stunned, Adele almost didn't catch it. _Why hadn't he killed her?_ Without further ado he turned and strode to the dripping corpse of the alien, and one slice with his blade severed the net. The alien body fell heavily to the floor; as the hunter knelt beside it, carefully avoiding the pool of steaming blood, Adele took first one step backwards and then another before whirling in determination to leave.

She was in a long, rectangular room; she'd fallen through the ceiling at one end, the end where the hunter was now. Quickly she traversed to the length of the chamber, keeping a wary eye out for more threatening creatures, slipping the knife back into her belt while keeping the spear out for quick protection. She had to get back above, had to get her weapons, had to find Lex and Sebastian-

And as she realized there were no current exits in the room, she closed her eyes in utter dismay. She was trapped here for the time being with a hunter and a corpse. After a moment she began to move again, choosing the corner diagonal to the other occupant and settling down against it, bringing her knees to her chest and laying the spear across them. She kept her eyes on the hunter, watching as he systematically dismembered the corpse, noting the way he carefully did so as to avoid the harmful blood of his victim. He was taking more trophies, she knew, and found that she was only vaguely disturbed by this; the alien had, after all, been trying to kill her.

As the minutes passed, Adele further studied the hunter, trying to understand why he hadn't struck her down. Was it because she'd slain one of his kind? She'd thought that by doing so she'd earned the rest of the hunters' instant hatred, but perhaps the fact that she'd done such a thing had earned her some type of respect. Obviously these creatures based a lot on strength, and judging from what Sebastian had deciphered of their culture they valued the prowess of the Hunt, of being able to bring down the most deadly of prey.

And Adele had done just that.

The hunter, having finished his carving of the corpse, had stood and was stringing what appeared to be a mixture of teeth and fingers onto a length of wire. At that precise moment the world began to rumble, and Adele shot to her feet as the pyramid started to shift again. She elongated the spear with a flick of her thumb and pivoted on the spot, preparing for whatever may stumble upon her. Her dread was confirmed when she heard an earth shaking roar; heart in her throat she wheeled about to find that a slab in the wall directly before her had risen, and looming in the new entry was yet another hunter.

She watched, poised to act should she need to, as the new predator came through the entry in slow, sure strides. He was, she saw, slightly shorter than the other that was also currently in the room, but was just as broad. As he halted to roar anew in a manner that was most certainly threatening, Adele found herself taking in other minute details. The upper right half of this hunter's torso was bare from armor, and beneath the mesh she could see a nasty mess of scars decorating the mottled yellowness of that portion of his chest. The rest of the armor it wore was much as she'd seen on the others, but the mask was decidedly different –it was highly detailed, curving lines and indentations, and rising from the bottom where two small, slightly curved tusks. It gave him most assuredly a bestial appearance. His hair was gathered into a thick topknot; the stray pieces fell over his shoulder to hang at markedly different lengths. Like the other hunter in the room, this one had a cannon over one shoulder, but in one of his hands he held a what seemed to be for all the world a glorified version of a scythe; the blade was sharply curved with a jagged toothed edge, and the haft was glistening metal.

As the roar of the new predator died away, he hefted his weapon in both hands and began to advance on Adele with a distinctly threatening gait. Bringing her spear up she began to back pedal, contemplating appealing to the other hunter for aid. She didn't have to, for suddenly said hunter was there before her, inserting himself in the path of his comrade with a snarl. Adele took the opportunity to quickly circle around the two of them, intending to make a break for the newly opened exit. She was halted in her tracks, however, as the first hunter, the one who had killed the alien, turned his head to fix on her with a commanding bark. As he turned his attention back to his comrade, the two of them began to converse in growls and chitters that sounded distinctly unfriendly. The predator that had saved her, the one she found herself thinking of as Tank because of his impressive arsenal, finally gestured with great emphasis at the spear she carried and then at the lock of hair suspended from her waist.

The newcomer turned his head to regard her; she could almost feel the disgust and pretension radiating from behind that savage mask. Face to face with this creature, a name surfaced for him, and it was apt –Tusk. With a noise of definite dismissal, Tusk swivelled about and began a path to the opening he had just entered from, apparently taking the word of his comrade that she was worth leaving alive. Tank followed him, and Adele watched them leave, amazed she'd survived this encounter while simultaneously wondering exactly how the hell she was going to find her way back to Lex and Sebastian. On the threshold of the entry Tank paused, half turning; with a toss of his head he beckoned Adele to follow.

Astounded, she stared at him a moment, and as he snarled at her hesitation she found herself moving forwards on legs that were slightly shaky. As she reached him he turned without further sound and began to walk, and she trailed a short distance behind him as they entered a narrow corridor. She didn't bother pondering how wise this decision was; she wanted to get out of this temple alive, and she stood a better chance with these predators –as violent and unpredictable as they were- than on her own.

**IXI**


End file.
